Affluent Americans are increasingly buying or renting second

Affluent Americans are increasingly buying or renting second homes in urban centers. “The 2000 Census indicated that the number of apartments in Manhattan used as second homes had increased 141 percent to 21,640 over the previous decade, and the Census Bureau’s 2004 American Community Survey, based on a smaller sampling, showed the number of second homes in Manhattan soaring even more, to 30,780,” The New York Times reported March 5. New Urban News has noticed the urban-second-home trend among well-off middle-aged couples in the past several years. The second-home phenomenon may support revitalization of cities. However, if much of the population is present only a fraction of the year, it may not do much for restaurants and shops that need everyday customers.